Under the moniker Zola Jesus, Nika Roza Danilova creates sophisticated industrial pop music. With a degree in Philosophy and professional training in opera, she applies both her academic skills and creative touches to her music. She is a self-proclaimed perfectionist, which was a trait inherited through her ten years of opera lessons. The producer of 2011’s Conatus attests to Zola Jesus’ meticulous nature. He claims that no pitch correction was used on the album because she would hit the right notes on every take.
Zola Jesus’ lyrics often relate to questions that she has about the world and human behavior, a curiosity that may have been sparked by her studies. Against the backdrop of mechanical, dystopian beats, her vocal delivery is, in contrast, warm and powerful. Even when the words are nearly indecipherable upon first listen, they are so convincingly and passionately sung that they can immediately trigger an emotional response (perhaps recalling the talented Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins). Zola Jesus’ precise execution combined with her penchant for noisy experimentation is what makes Conatus so appealing.
